Sorong

Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia's Raja Ampat Islands, species rich coral reef islands in an area considered the heart of the world's coral reef biodiversity. It also is the logistics hub for Indonesia's thriving eastern oil and gas frontier. Sorong has experienced exponential growth since 2010, and further growth is anticipated as Sorong becomes linked by road to other frontier towns in Papua's Bird's Head Peninsula. The city had a population of 190,625 at the 2010 Census and 284,410 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate was 295,809. In mid 2022, 47.34% of the city population were Protestant, 44.82% were Muslim, and 7.55% Catholic, with minorities of Buddhists and Hindus. The city is served by Domine Eduard Osok Airport.